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Coaching With AI: Staying Human, Staying Ethical

Posted by Sue - Admin on Apr. 24, 2026  /   0

by Liz Angelucci, Vice President of Special Projects - ICF New Jersey Board

Coaching is, at its core, a human, relational process built on trust, presence, and partnership between coach and client. This fundamental reality does not change as new technologies emerge around us. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a future concept; it is already woven into many of the tools we use every day as coaches.

At the same time, the International Coaching Federation (ICF) has made it clear that the heart of coaching remains human and that our ethical responsibilities do not change just because our tools have.

This blog draws heavily on the ICF Artificial Intelligence Coaching Framework and Standards, which translate the ICF Core Competencies into concrete requirements for AI‑enabled coaching. It is the start of a chapter‑wide conversation about how ICF New Jersey (ICF NJ) coaches can use AI to enhance our work while honoring the ICF Code of Ethics and the new AI Coaching Framework and Standards.

What’s New: ICF, AI, and Ethics

In recent years, ICF has taken important steps to clarify how AI and technology intersect with professional coaching. In 2025, ICF released the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Coaching Framework and Standards, which translate the ICF Core Competencies into specific expectations for AI‑enabled coaching systems. The framework is organized into six domains, each describing what ethical, effective AI‑supported coaching should look like:

  • Foundation
  • Co‑Creating the Relationship
  • Communicating Effectively
  • Cultivating Learning and Growth
  • Assurance and Testing
  • Technical Factors

ICF also updated the Code of Ethics to explicitly address technology and AI. Standard 2.5 requires coaches to fulfill their ethical and legal obligations “directly and through any technology systems” they use, including AI tools, platforms, databases, and software. This means that confidentiality, privacy, informed consent, and professional responsibility apply just as much to an AI transcription tool or coaching platform as they do to a face‑to‑face conversation.

Why AI Matters for Coaches Now

For many NJ coaches, AI is already present in subtle ways: in scheduling systems, note‑taking assistants, or learning platforms we recommend to clients. Used thoughtfully, AI can help coaches:

  • Reduce administrative load (e.g., automating session summaries, follow‑up reminders, and document drafting).
  • Expand access to coaching through digital platforms and asynchronous support.
  • Generate ideas (questions, metaphors, exercises) that spark new awareness for clients when curated by a human coach.


Research and practice examples suggest that coaches who integrate AI into workflows can increase capacity and responsiveness while maintaining the human relationship at the center. However, without an ethical framework, the same tools can create risks: over‑sharing client data, over‑relying on algorithmic suggestions, or failing to disclose how technology is being used.

Aligning AI With ICF Core Values and Standards

ICF’s core values - Professionalism, Collaboration, Humanity, and Equity provide a useful lens for any AI decision. A few examples:

  • Humanity: AI should never replace the coach+client relationship or undermine the client’s dignity. It must support deeper listening, reflection, and choice, not dictate answers.
  • Professionalism: Coaches remain responsible for the quality and impact of their work, including any AI tools they introduce. We cannot “blame the algorithm” for biased, inaccurate, or harmful outputs.
  • Equity: While AI can be effective at removing human bias, AI systems may contain biases based on the data they were trained on. Ethical use includes being transparent with clients, monitoring for bias, and avoiding tools or practices that disadvantage particular groups.

The AI Coaching Framework also reminds us that AI‑supported coaching should still embody core competencies such as establishing trust and safety, maintaining presence, communicating effectively, and cultivating learning and growth. Any AI use that erodes trust, short‑circuits client thinking, or narrows perspective is a signal to pause and reassess.

Practical, ICF‑Aligned Ways to Use AI

Many coaches are experimenting with low‑risk, high‑value applications of AI that stay firmly within ICF standards. A few examples you might consider:

  • Before sessions
    • Using AI to brainstorm potential coaching questions or exercises tailored to a general client theme (e.g., career transition, leadership confidence), which you then refine using your own judgment.
    • Drafting educational summaries on topics like feedback models or change curves, and then editing them for accuracy and client fit before sharing.
  • During sessions (with informed consent)
    • Using secure AI‑powered note‑taking or transcription tools to capture key themes and action items, while minimizing identifiable information and explaining to clients how the tool works.
    • Leveraging live analytics (e.g., talk‑time ratios, topic tracking) as one more lens for reflection, however, never as the sole basis for evaluation.
    • For accessibility, AI can generate closed captions and other useful support tools for those it may benefit.
  • After sessions
    • Generating draft follow‑up emails, action‑item lists, or reflection questions based on your own notes, then reviewing and personalizing them.
    • Organizing anonymized patterns across engagements (for internal reflection), such as common coaching themes, while complying with the Code of Ethics and data‑protection standards.

In each case, the coach (not the tool) remains responsible for what is shared, how it is framed, and whether it serves the client’s agenda.

Red Flags: When AI Use Becomes Ethically Risky

ICF’s updated Code and AI guidance also point to practices that may cross ethical lines or require extra care. Situations to handle with caution include:

  • Feeding detailed, identifiable client narratives into general‑purpose AI tools that store or reuse data without clear privacy protections.
  • Allowing AI to generate psychological labels, diagnoses, or prescriptive advice that exceed the scope of coaching or your competence.
  • Using AI assessments or analytics you do not understand well enough to explain, challenge, or contextualize.
  • Failing to tell clients when AI is involved in your process; for example, in session recordings, analysis, or written materials.

Under Standard 2.5, coaches must select tools carefully, disclose how AI is used, protect confidentiality, and retain human judgment as the basis for decisions. When in doubt, asking “Would this practice still honor the Code of Ethics if there were no technology involved?” can be a helpful test.

A Simple Ethical Checklist for AI Use

To make this practical, you might run any AI‑related idea through a short checklist grounded in ICF principles:

☐ Purpose – Does this AI use clearly serve the client’s goals and learning, or mostly my convenience or curiosity?
☐ Consent – Have I explained what tool I’m using, what it does with data, and given the client a real choice to opt in or out?
☐ Privacy – Am I minimizing identifiable information and using tools with reasonable security practices (e.g., encryption, clear retention policies)?
☐ Oversight – Will I critically review AI outputs rather than accepting them at face value?
☐ Equity – Could this tool or workflow reinforce bias or exclude certain clients, and if so, how will I mitigate that?

Protip: You can adapt these questions into language for your coaching agreements, website, or onboarding materials so clients know what to expect.

Becoming an “AI‑Curious” ICF Coach

Many coaches feel pressure to “catch up” with AI or fear that technology will make human coaching obsolete. Current ICF guidance and practitioner examples suggest something different: AI is most powerful when it extends a clearly ethical, human‑centered practice.

An AI‑curious coach doesn’t adopt every new tool. Instead, they experiment intentionally, one use case at a time, and reflect: Did this deepen client awareness? Did it save meaningful time I can reinvest in presence and preparation? Did it stay aligned with the Code of Ethics and my own values?

As a chapter, we can learn faster together by sharing what we try: what works, what doesn’t, and where we still have questions. This blog is a starting point! 

We need your help and your input to keep the conversation going.

Call to Action: Help Us Understand How NJ Coaches Are Using AI

To serve you better, the ICF New Jersey Chapter is launching a brief member survey on “Coaching and AI in Practice.” Our goal is to understand how coaches in our community are currently using AI, where you see opportunities, and what ethical questions you are wrestling with.

Your responses will help us:

  • Tailor future webinars, peer conversations, and resources to real needs.
  • Highlight NJ‑based case studies of ethical, innovative AI use.
  • Bring a grounded, coach‑driven perspective into ongoing ICF NJ discussions about AI.

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and add your voice to this evolving conversation.

Together, we can ensure that AI serves our clients, our profession, and our shared ICF values - never the other way around. For a deeper dive, we encourage you to read the ICF Artificial Intelligence Coaching Framework and Standards (V1.01, 2024), which underpin the ideas in this blog and will guide our future chapter offerings on AI.

For those who want to engage in more discussion with ICF NJ chapter members on AI related topics, the monthly Business Acceleration Community Group focuses a portion of the discussion on a different AI topic area each month. Here is a list of the upcoming meetings that you may be interested in. Mark your calendars!

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